I have a theory
I told the middle school teacher
who was spending her summer
working at a boutique
that middle school teachers
act like middle schoolers.
We gossip and get caught up in drama.
We don't accept differences
and meet others where they are.
Arrested development,
trying to work out our own,
lifelong drama.
Shocked, she responded that my theory
matched hers, and she had never heard
someone with the same theory.
We exchanged emails,
so we could support one another
from afar as we both take on a new role,
leading departments.
This year I resolve to not be typecasted
in the middle school drama,
by playing well with others even when challenged,
by rising above the negative talk--instead seeking solutions
by not judging others even when I feel judged,
by fleeing from conversations that I can't change to positive, and
by dissuading others from tearing down kids by focusing on the positive and the potential.
Only then can I avoid being typecasted
as I take on a new role,
releasing myself
from the shackles
of arrested development.
Your theory is right---and it works for high school too. I love your "I resolve" stanza. Perfect for the next school year! Good luck with yours.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the theory say about us elementary teachers?! Because I think it probably works for us, too!
DeleteAs someone who has done PD in middle schools, I think you might be on to something! Yikes! Wondering, like newtree mom, if this is also true of those of us who teach at the elementary level!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about teachers being like the students.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a good action plan. If you are naughty do you have to sit in the corner? Or write on the blackboard one hundred times, " I will not gossip."
If I am naughty, I will blog about it. :-) Thanks
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